MotoGP™: Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) wins stunning eight-rider battle at Assen.

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Few races are written immediately into the history books as the flag flies at the finish line, but the 2018 Dutch GP will be one of them. It was Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) who emerged from the melee to take the win on the Championship’s 70th visit to the track, but the headlines were stolen somewhat as the TT Circuit Assen hosted a showcase of the best of MotoGP™ starring Marquez, Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), teammate Maverick Viñales, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), teammate Jorge Lorenzo, Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol). And those on the podium at the end – Marquez, Rins and Viñales – fought to the top in the closest top fifteen of all time.

Marquez took the holeshot from pole, with Crutchlow initially on his tail from second on the grid until Lorenzo sliced through from tenth to P2 after another awe-inspiring launch. The Spaniard and Catalan GP winner didn’t wait long to strike for the lead either, attacking Marquez and the two side-by-side in a war of wills until Lorenzo edged ahead. Marquez hit back a lap later at Turn 15, before Lorenzo repaid the favour once more. The duel was the first of many; an early taste of what was to come.

Rossi then made his first attack of the race at the final chicane, a first rehearsal, and set off after Lorenzo – with the Spaniard then suffering a moment soon after and Rossi smashing into the rear of the Ducati, unable to avoid him. But both stayed on and both stayed ahead, with Marquez, Dovizioso, Rins, Crutchlow and Viñales forming a train of riders fighting at the front.

Marquez took Rossi, Viñales took Crutchlow, Dovizioso took Rossi, Dovizioso took Marquez, Marquez struck back, Rins took Rossi and then Dovizioso…but Lorenzo held firm at the front. With eight riders within a second, from Lorenzo down to Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) at the back of the train, the touch paper was well and truly lit on an absolute classic.

The war continued before another bout of bigger drama with 15 laps to go as Rins attacked Marquez and the two were only a hair’s breadth apart – no contact, but the reigning Champion suffered a big moment as he got back on the gas. That dropped him back off the lead, with Lorenzo chased by Rins and Dovizioso.

The Italian dueled his teammate for the lead soon after and Lorenzo began to drop back slightly, with Viñales then taking the lead for the first time with eight to go. Next time around Marquez had sliced back through into the lead, before the next lap saw both almost throw it all away as they dueled and both headed wide. Rossi took over – another stunner from the ‘Doctor’ at the final chicane – but ‘DesmoDovi’ took him back.

Four wide at times, Marquez made his way back into P1…and that was all she wrote, for the lead at least. After one of the closest, most spectacular races in the history of the world’s oldest motorsport Championship, the reigning Champion was able to pull clear to take a stunning fourth win of the year – and increase his points lead.

The battle behind wasn’t over, however, and Viñales had pushed through to second before a last lap attack from Rins – with the Suzuki rider taking his second ever premier class rostrum. Viñales was forced to settle for third but back on the podium for the first time since Texas…and the fight for fourth showed why Rossi had been rehearsing.

The ‘Doctor’ left it late but lunged up the inside of Dovizioso into the famous Geert Timmer chicane on the final lap, and he was ahead – but ‘DesmoDovi’ took him back on the exit, getting such a good exit that the number 04 was almost on a par with Viñales over the line.

Marquez, Rins, Viñales, Dovizioso and Rossi were followed home by Crutchlow and Lorenzo, with Zarco, Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) and Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) completing the top ten in one of the greatest races contested on two wheels.

MOTUL TT ASSEN

MotoGP Race Classification 2018.

Pos.	Points	Num.	Rider	Nation	Team	Bike	Km/h	Time/Gap
1	25	93	Marc MARQUEZ	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	171.8	41’13.863
2	20	42	Alex RINS	SPA	Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	Suzuki	171.6	+2.269
3	16	25	Maverick VIÑALES	SPA	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	Yamaha	171.6	+2.308
4	13	4	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	ITA	Ducati Team	Ducati	171.6	+2.422
5	11	46	Valentino ROSSI	ITA	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	Yamaha	171.6	+2.963
6	10	35	Cal CRUTCHLOW	GBR	LCR Honda CASTROL	Honda	171.5	+3.876
7	9	99	Jorge LORENZO	SPA	Ducati Team	Ducati	171.5	+4.462
8	8	5	Johann ZARCO	FRA	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	171.3	+7.001
9	7	19	Alvaro BAUTISTA	SPA	Angel Nieto Team	Ducati	171.3	+7.541
10	6	43	Jack MILLER	AUS	Alma Pramac Racing	Ducati	170.9	+13.056
11	5	29	Andrea IANNONE	ITA	Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	Suzuki	171.0	+14.255
12	4	44	Pol ESPARGARO	SPA	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM	170.7	+15.876
13	3	41	Aleix ESPARGARO	SPA	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	Aprilia	170.7	+15.986
14	2	45	Scott REDDING	GBR	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	Aprilia	170.7	+16.019
15	1	26	Dani PEDROSA	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	170.7	+16.043
16		53	Tito RABAT	SPA	Reale Avintia Racing	Ducati	170.7	+16.416
17		38	Bradley SMITH	GBR	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM	169.8	+29.073
18		55	Hafizh SYAHRIN	MAL	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	169.5	+33.824
19		30	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	JPN	LCR Honda IDEMITSU	Honda	169.6	+34.037
20		12	Thomas LUTHI	SWI	EG 0,0 Marc VDS	Honda	168.5	+47.853
Not Classified
		9	Danilo PETRUCCI	ITA	Alma Pramac Racing	Ducati	170.9	9 Laps
		10	Xavier SIMEON	BEL	Reale Avintia Racing	Ducati	156.7	9 Laps
		17	Karel ABRAHAM	CZE	Angel Nieto Team	Ducati	165.9	15 Laps

MotoGP World Standing 2018.

Pos.	Rider	Bike	Nation	Points
1	Marc MARQUEZ	Honda	SPA	140
2	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	ITA	99
3	Maverick VIÑALES	Yamaha	SPA	93
4	Johann ZARCO	Yamaha	FRA	81
5	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Ducati	ITA	79
6	Cal CRUTCHLOW	Honda	GBR	79
7	Jorge LORENZO	Ducati	SPA	75
8	Danilo PETRUCCI	Ducati	ITA	71
9	Andrea IANNONE	Suzuki	ITA	71
10	Jack MILLER	Ducati	AUS	55
11	Alex RINS	Suzuki	SPA	53
12	Dani PEDROSA	Honda	SPA	41
13	Alvaro BAUTISTA	Ducati	SPA	33
14	Pol ESPARGARO	KTM	SPA	32
15	Tito RABAT	Ducati	SPA	27
16	Franco MORBIDELLI	Honda	ITA	19
17	Hafizh SYAHRIN	Yamaha	MAL	17
18	Aleix ESPARGARO	Aprilia	SPA	16
19	Scott REDDING	Aprilia	GBR	11
20	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	Honda	JPN	10
21	Bradley SMITH	KTM	GBR	7
22	Mika KALLIO	KTM	FIN	6
23	Karel ABRAHAM	Ducati	CZE	4
24	Thomas LUTHI	Honda	SWI
25	Xavier SIMEON	Ducati	BEL

Credits : Photos and content courtesy of motogp.com